Cause Everybody Digs a Swinging Cat
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: "Oh. My. God. Bree." Each word slips out of her mouth like it's own sentence of barely contained excitement. "Kittens!"


**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Title comes from the song "Everybody Wants to be a Cat" from _The Aristocats_. This story was really hard to name you guys! Cut me some slack!

**A/N: **I honestly can't explain myself. I swear to God I thought this story was going to be three pages. My bad. It just happened. If anyone is curious (for some reason) I see this taking place in the same universe as the majority of the other Chloe and Aubrey stories that I've worked on, just a few years down the road from the end of the movie. This story is for thefutilitarian. Here's a (digital) kitty for you!

**"Everybody Digs a Swinging Cat"**

Aubrey tries her hardest. She really does. In the end, it's completely out of her hands.

They almost make it too, that's the thing that kills Aubrey.

They almost just walk right past the sign, they're three steps away, almost in the home stretch. To be honest, Aubrey's surprised that Chloe doesn't see the sign or the crowd gathered around on the sidewalk. She'd always been convinced that Chloe has a sort of sixth sense for things like this. Apparently not. Of course, Aubrey does her best to divert Chloe's attention, so it's not like the redhead is completely clueless. Once Chloe starts talking about her students, there's not much that can get her to stop. Aubrey has learned this over the past three years and, from time to time, uses it to her advantage.

Unfortunately, the odds are not in Aubrey's favor. Chloe stops midsentence and in mid-step, already turning back around. Aubrey knows by that point that it's too late.

"Oh. My. God. Bree." Each word slips out of her mouth like it's own sentence of barely contained excitement. "Kittens!"

Aubrey sighs as she turns back around and follows Chloe to the plastic tote with the litter of kittens inside. There's a tired looking woman with a toddler in her lap sitting in a lawn chair next to the tote, which has a sign proclaiming _Kittens! Free to a good home!_ leaning against the side. Aubrey wonders how the owner of the laundry mat feels about having this free kitten display going on right outside his store. It's definitely attracting a ton of people, though none of them appear to be interested in doing laundry.

Like Chloe, they're all interested in the kittens. There are seven tiny kittens inside the plastic tote: five black and two grey. They're crawling all over each other, tumbling around or trying to jump up the side of the crate, only to tumble back down to the bottom again. The air is filled with a chorus of tiny mews and collective squeals.

Chloe lets out her own little squeal of excitement and clasps her hands together. Aubrey can practically feel her girlfriend's body thrumming with excitement. Fuck. They really do not need seven kittens. This is not going to be good.

"Look at them." Chloe rocks back on the balls of her feet. "Have you ever seen anything so adorable? I can't even stand it. I just…I can't handle it. They're so cute!"

Aubrey nods gamely. "Yep, so cute." She makes a show of checking her watch, even though they don't have anywhere to be by a specific time. "We should go…"

But Chloe is now the woman that will not be moved. She looks down at the crate full of tumbling kittens like she's never before seen such a thing before. Aubrey takes Chloe's hand and tries to tug her away but it's no use. Maybe they can still get away kitten-free. Maybe they'll just look and then walk away. As long as Chloe doesn't actually hold one of them, or start to bond with one of them, it'll all be okay.

Of course, as soon as Aubrey gets that thought in her mind, Chloe reaches in and picks up one of the black kittens, cuddling it to her face. It's all over now. Chloe lets out another squeal of excitement, unable to contain her joy, holding the kitten close.

"Look at it!" Chloe holds up the kitten for Aubrey to see before holding it close to her chest again. "Oh my God, I can't stand it. How cute is this? She's so soft and cuddly. Oh my God Bree. We have to get one."

"No." Aubrey says firmly, shaking her head. "No, Chloe, we can't. We do not need a kitten."

Chloe looks over at her. "Are you kidding me? Of course we do! Just look at this face!" She scratches the kitten under the chin and the kitten starts purring. "We _do_ need a kitten."

Once again, Aubrey shakes her head. "No, we don't. Remember that tiny, cramped apartment that we're currently living in? The one that you're not even technically allowed to _be_ living in because it's 'student housing' and you are most definitely not a graduate student?" Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "I'm not sure they can kick me out for having a person living with me, but I think they can if I have a cat."

Chloe waves her hand dismissively. "This cat is tiny. She won't take up any room."

"The cat is tiny _now_." Aubrey corrects. "But she's going to grow."

Chloe arches an eyebrow. "Bree, just how small do you think your place is? You're exaggerating a little. She's not going to grow lion sized." She points out.

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "I know that. But think about it. You, me, our stuff, the cat, the cat's food, the litter box-"

"We can put it in the bathroom."

"Which is about the size of a shoe box." Aubrey argues. "I've only got a year left. We'll move out and then get a kitten, okay?" She smiles, hoping that'll be enough to wheedle Chloe into leaving without a kitten.

Chloe pouts. "But these kittens will be gone." She protests. "And look how cute they are."

"All kittens are cute."

"These are free!" Aubrey's argument appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Chloe tries to put the kitten in Aubrey's hands but she crosses her arms over her chest. "C'mon, just hold her. She's so cute." Aubrey just rolls her eyes. "So sweet. And so soft and cuddly." She holds the kitten up and rubs her against Aubrey's cheek.

Aubrey's eyes go wide and she stares at Chloe. "Aca-'cuse me. Did you just rub that cat against my face?" Chloe gives her an innocent smile. "It could have fleas."

Chloe kisses the top of the kitten's head. "She doesn't have fleas. She's perfect." She hugs the kitten protectively. "Having a cat would be fun. We'd be like a little family."

"Couldn't we be a little family when I graduate law school and we don't live in an apartment where I can touch the walls when I stretch my arms out?"

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Exaggeration. Total exaggeration." She remarks. "Plus, we're living in New York City. All the apartments are that size."

Aubrey sighs and shakes her head. "Chloe, I just don't think it's a good idea." She leans forward and kisses Chloe on the forehead. "I'm sorry."

Chloe sighs too and her shoulders slump. "Fine. But the day after graduation, we're getting a cat."

"Deal." Aubrey says.

Chloe puts the little black kitten back into the tote with the rest of its siblings. One of the grey tabby cats stands up, putting its front paws on the back of one of the other kittens. It stands up and lets out a shrill meow, the sheer force of which sends it tumbling backward.

Aubrey feels something rising in her chest. A swelling in her heart. And a noise that she never thought she was capable of making. Even Aubrey can't deny that it's a squeal.

"He fell over." Aubrey says. "He meowed so loudly that he just…fell over." She curls her fingers into her palm so that she can resist the urge to pick up the kitten. He's just so cute. It's completely unfair.

"That was probably the cutest thing that I've ever seen." Chloe agrees with a nod. She glances over at Aubrey, who is staring down at the little grey kitten with an unreadable expression on her face. Though, Chloe has had years of interpreting Aubrey's various expressions and she knows that this is the look that Aubrey gets when she wants something but is too afraid to admit it. "Do you wanna…" Chloe gestures toward the jumble of kittens.

Aubrey nods. "Yes, please."

Chloe laughs and picks up the grey kitten, handing it over to her girlfriend, who promptly cuddles the kitten to her chest. The kitten lets out another shrill meow and bats at a strand of Aubrey's hair. Aubrey laughs and wiggles her fingers in front of the kitten, teasing him.

Chloe smiles as she watches Aubrey playing with the kitten. Clearly there's something more adorable than the kittens themselves. It's nice to see Aubrey smile like this, especially with finals two weeks away and the blonde putting herself under far too much pressure. She definitely looks carefree right now.

"Sure we can't have a kitten?" Chloe questions, nudging Aubrey with her hip. Aubrey hesitates before shaking her head. "Even adorable, loud grey kittens?" Chloe tries again. "We could name him Albert."

"Albert? No!" Aubrey gives Chloe an incredulous look. "What kind of name is that for a cat? He's clearly a-" But she stops herself, giving Chloe a look. "Oh no. I see what you're trying to do here. We cannot have this cat Chloe. It's just not practical, or responsible. We can't afford to get kicked out because we can't afford another place and then we'd become homeless. It would be irresponsible to bring this innocent creature home and then subject him to life on the street."

Chloe shakes her head. "Okay, aca-whoa Aubrey." Chloe teases. "Now you're _definitely _over-exaggerating. It's just a kitten. Think of how much fun it would be to have a pet. Research shows that having an animal is good for you; it reduces stress levels and helps you live longer." Thank you _Good Morning America_. Chloe knows that if there's one thing that Aubrey can't resist, it's fact, figures and irrefutable information.

Aubrey still shakes her head. "We can't."

But, when she really thinks about it…why not? She's about to turn twenty-five and is a year away from graduating Columbia with a degree to practice law. She's living in New York City with the person she loves more than she ever thought herself capable of loving. Though Aubrey has never considered herself superstitious, she often finds herself struggling to find an excuse for why things aren't completely perfect on the off chance that actually admitting that things _are_ perfect is going to just ruin everything. She's (dare she say it?) happy. Sure there are a few cons in the plan, but really, getting a cat wouldn't be a _horrible_ idea. She's always wanted a cat, or really just any pet, but her father's allergies made it an impossibility. Not that Marc or Gwen Posen are animal people anyway, so having a family pet was never high on the list of things they wanted their children to experience. But now, the only person who can tell Aubrey no is Aubrey.

Chloe wrinkles her nose but doesn't protest Aubrey's latest decree that they can't take a cat home. She's probably right anyway (like she is about most things) so why start an argument. There are plenty of other cats out there.

Aubrey surprises her by abruptly saying, "Okay. But it has to be this one."

Chloe looks at her girlfriend with a doubtful expression on her face. "Wait…really? You want to get a kitten?"

"Yes." Aubrey says, nodding. "Why not? I mean, aside from some obvious reasons, like vet bills and having to buy the food and bowls and-"

"Yes! We're getting a kitten!" Chloe decides that it's probably best to cut Aubrey off before she manages to talk herself out of taking the kitten home. She hugs Aubrey, squashing the kitten in between them and he lets out an annoyed meow. "This is going to be so great. Our very own kitten!" She smiles as Aubrey and pats the grey fuzz ball on the head.

Aubrey gives Chloe an uncertain smile. Even though she has her doubts, it's hard not to be charmed by Chloe's excitement. Chloe's unabashed enthusiasm is one of Aubrey's favorite things about her girlfriend and there's still a part of her that feels eighteen years old again and insanely jealous of Chloe's ability to only see the excitement in a situation and to not worry about the consequences. Over the years, she's learned to let go of a bit of her restraint but 'carefree' and 'zealous' are still not words that she would use to describe herself. But it's not like she's getting the kitten all on her own; Chloe is going to be there to help her take care of it and, if they do end up getting kicked out of the dorm room and find themselves homeless, than she can always say _I told you so_.

Chloe and Aubrey go to talk the woman giving the kittens away but it quickly becomes clear that she wouldn't care if they took the entire crate of cats and walked off without a word. In fact, that's probably what she's hoping is going to happen. So, in just a few short minutes, they become the official parents of a noisy grey kitten.

They had planned on going to go shopping for a few warm weather clothes, going to lunch and catching a movie as a pre-finals date but now that they have the kitten, their plans change. They find themselves at the pet store instead and Chloe holds the crying grey kitten to her chest while Aubrey pushes the shopping cart and deliberates on what type of food and litter to buy and has a lengthy debate with one of the store employees about the best kind of litter box. Chloe just lets Aubrey handle all the boring stuff and she heads off to the cat toy aisle and tries to coax the kitten into playing with the various toys.

Aubrey rolls her eyes when she walks up and finds Chloe sitting on the floor with the kitten, dangling a feathery toy in front of him. "That floor is probably filthy." She remarks. "People bring their dogs in here."

Chloe holds out her hand and Aubrey pulls her to her feet before scooping up the kitten. "The lady I was just talking to said that we should get lots of toys so that he doesn't get bored and claw up our stuff." Aubrey remarks, scratching the kitten behind the ears.

"That's not going to be a problem." Chloe assures her. "I've already been picking some stuff out." She points to the pile of toys that she's been collecting. "These are the ones he really likes."

Aubrey laughs and shakes her head. "Oh, did he tell you that?" She smiles at her girlfriend affectionately. Thank God for Chloe Beale, that's all she has to say.

Chloe starts putting toys in the cart but Aubrey quickly returns certain items to the shelf. "These are too small. He could choke on them." She says when she sees a package of catnip mice with bells around their necks. Yep, definitely a choking hazard waiting to happen.

Chloe gives her a kiss on the cheek. "You sound like a mom already." She says, her tone slightly teasing.

"I just want to make sure that we're doing this right." Aubrey says defensively. "We don't want him to die on the first night he's living with us, do we?"

"He's not going to die." Chloe assures Aubrey, taking the kitten from her hands. "Are you?" She coos, kissing the top of the kitten's head. "No, you're going to live forever."

Aubrey gives her a look. "Cats only live an average of thirteen years."

"Shh! This is no time for logic, Posen." Chloe holds the cat against her protectively. "Our cat is going to live forever."

"If you say so." Aubrey rolls her eyes before giving her girlfriend a quick kiss. "Okay, I think we have everything. Now we just have to figure out how to get all this back to the apartment without anyone noticing."

That turns out to be much easier than either one of them would have thought. No one spares them a second glance as they come walking into the building and up three flights of stairs with a kitten and bags full of cat supplies. Either everyone is already devoting the entirety of their focus to their upcoming finals or no one really cares what their neighbors are up to. Aubrey's pretty sure that her neighbors are already used to her habit of bending the rules, seeing as Chloe is as much a resident of the building as the rest of them. The tiny, single rooms with their tiny bathrooms and tiny kitchens aren't supposed to house more than one graduate student, but Aubrey and Chloe have made it work for almost a year. So what difference does it make if there's suddenly a cat in the mix?

Chloe puts the kitten down and he immediately starts running around the room like he's possessed. He runs under their bed and around Aubrey's desk and into the bathroom and out again, his tail puffy and his fur standing on end. He even tries to wedge himself under the refrigerator, but the space is too small even for him.

Aubrey's brow knits as she watches the Kitty 500. "Is this normal?" She questions.

"Sure." Chloe shrugs. "He's just checking out his new place." The kitten runs headlong into the closet door and falls backward. "Yeah. Normal."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "We would get the weird one." She mumbles.

"You picked him out." Chloe reminds her as she starts unloading the scratching post and other various toys from the shopping bags. "_You_ picked the weird one."

They have to rearrange a few things in the apartment in order to make room for the food bowls and the litter box but they manage to organize everything in a way that doesn't make it seem like the cat is taking over. Chloe has to admit that Aubrey had a point about the size thing; there's definitely not enough room for two people in this place, let alone two people and a bunch of cat stuff. But she and Aubrey can make it work, like they always have before.

Chloe picks up the kitten and flops down on the bed, smiling as she watches the grey fluff-ball try and burrow under the covers. Kittens really are too cute. There should be a rule about that type of thing.

Aubrey comes to sit down behind her and Chloe moves so that her head is resting in Aubrey's lap. Chloe teases the kitten by quickly moving her hand back and forth on top of the sheets. His head whips back and forth, trying to keep up with the movement and he makes himself dizzy and falls over. Chloe laughs and picks him up, setting him down on her chest.

"Do you still want to go out?" Aubrey questions, playing with Chloe's hair. She feels Chloe shiver when her nails lightly brush against her scalp. "Or are you too busy with your new friend?"

"Let's do dinner instead." Chloe suggests, tickling the cat's stomach when he rolls over. He kicks at her with his little feet, nipping on her fingers. "I think this is the best decision we've ever made."

"The best?" Aubrey questions, her tone slightly teasing, and she lightly trails her nails down the nape of Chloe's neck.

Chloe lets out a contented sigh. "Second best." Yep, that whole deciding to date thing…that was the best decision.

Aubrey leans her head down to kiss Chloe and the kitten pounces on her hair when it hangs down in front of her face. Both Aubrey and Chloe laugh and the kitten starts running across the bed again, rooting under the sheets.

"We have to name him." Chloe points out after a few minutes of watching the grey kitten twist himself up in the sheets. "You already made your feelings on Albert perfectly clear so…"

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Albert is not a good name for a cat. It's like your great-uncle or something."

Chloe arches an eyebrow as she looks up at Aubrey. "So what do _you_ want to name him?"

Aubrey looks over at the cat for a minute, watching as he hops around on their pillows and then charges Chloe's side. "Gatsby." She decides. "I think that's a good name for a cat." _The Great Gatsby _is one of the few books that she was ever assigned in English class that she actually enjoyed reading. Most of the time, she considered English to be pointless and a waste of her efforts but she didn't mind America Lit in high school and reading _Gatsby_ was definitely one of the highlights.

"I love it." Chloe declares, picking up the kitten and holding him up so she can study him. "Gatsby. Yep, he definitely looks like a Gatsby. Albert Gatsby."

Aubrey laughs and playfully bumps Chloe's head with her thigh. "No. No Albert." She laughs.

But Chloe ignores her. "Albert Gatsby Posen-Beale." She holds the kitten up a little higher and starts singing "The Circle of Life." The kitten gives her a confused look before he starts meowing.

Aubrey rescues the kitten from her grasp. "I really don't think all of that is going to fit on the collar."

* * *

"Chloe, I don't think you're going to be able to tuck him in." Aubrey remarks as she brushes her hair out before bed. It's one of those little habits that she's been doing since childhood and she hasn't been able to shake it since. She watches Chloe in the bathroom mirror, rolling her eyes as her girlfriend tries to cover Gatsby with a blanket. "He's a cat. He's not going to sit still."

Chloe frowns when Gatsby wrestles away from her and takes a flying leap off the bed. "I want to cuddle." She pouts and Aubrey doesn't know if she's trying to explain herself to Aubrey or to the cat.

Aubrey scoops up the kitten and carries it back to the bed, dropping him on Chloe's lap as she slips under the covers and cuddles up to her girlfriend. She lays her head on Chloe's chest and hums in contentment when Chloe shifts so she can slip her arm around her waist. They fit so well together and Aubrey feels languid and sleepy.

Chloe tries to make Gatsby lie down but he just starts chewing on her fingers, digging his claws into her skin. Even though he's tiny, his claws are sharp and Chloe pulls her hand away quickly. "Ouch!" She gives Gatsby an offended look. "I thought we were friends."

Aubrey takes Chloe's hand and kisses her fingers gently. "Poor baby." She says sweetly. "We'll just have to get rid of him."

"No, that's okay. It feels much better now." Chloe assures her girlfriend, giving her a kiss. When she leans over to switch off the bedside lamp, Gatsby goes running off the bed once more and disappears in the kitchen.

With Chloe's arms around her and the sound her heart beating against her ear, Aubrey has almost no trouble falling asleep. She's not sure how much time passes before she's jolted from sleep suddenly when Chloe bolts upright, uttering a cry of pain. Aubrey looks around, trying to figure out what the heck is going on and what's wrong with her girlfriend. The apartment is dark, still and silent. Not a thing looks out of place.

"He attacked me!" Chloe says defensively when Aubrey gives her a confused look. Gatsby is prancing around Chloe's feet, pouncing on her toes, his claws hitting skin through the blankets. "Ouch!" She jerks her feet away but that only makes Gatsby chase after her, his tail flicking. "He's vicious!"

"He's just playing." Aubrey points out with a yawn, grabbing Gatsby before he can do any further damage. He twists around in her hands, trying to free himself so that he can cause more mischief. "That's what kittens do."

Chloe frowns. "It's nighttime." She tells the kitten. "Chill."

Aubrey yawns again as she gets out of bed, carrying the kitten over to the bathroom and putting him down on the floor, shutting the door quickly. "There. Problem solved."

As soon as she gets back into bed, Gatsby starts crying. His meows are shrill and incessant and both Chloe and Aubrey groan. "You wanted a cat." Aubrey mumbles, pulling the covers over her head.

"You picked the weird one." Chloe counters, getting under the blankets herself.

Unfortunately that does little to block out the sound of the yowling. Gatsby doesn't seem to be losing steam, continuing to meow and stick his paws underneath the bathroom door.

"Go get him." Chloe pokes Aubrey in the side. "He wants you."

"You get him." Aubrey protests. "I'm too cozy to move."

Chloe starts to protest but Aubrey pouts and gives her puppy dog eyes and Chloe sighs and pushes back the covers. "You're lucky you're cute." She kisses Aubrey on the nose before getting out of bed and opening the bathroom door. Gatsby immediately pounces on her feet and tries to bite her toes.

"Keep it up cat and you'll be living on the street." Chloe remarks, bending down to pick Gatsby up so he can no longer wage war on her feet. "He's not so cute now." She frowns at Aubrey.

Aubrey rolls her eyes and smiles at her girlfriend. "I'm sure you'll love him again in the morning." She pats the bed next to her, tired of waiting to be cuddled. "We just have to get used to him."

Chloe puts Gatsby down on the floor and then snuggles up to Aubrey, tucking her face against the side of her neck. The apartment is blissfully silent again and Aubrey feels herself starting to drift off to sleep…then Gatsby starts running around the apartment again, bumping into walls and skidding across the kitchen floor.

"Adjustment period." Chloe mumbles against Aubrey's skin when she hears the blonde let out another sigh. "This is just an adjustment period."

* * *

Two weeks pass by in a blur. Just as Chloe predicted, they quickly adjust to life with Albert Gatsby Posen-Beale. Though, in order to further confuse the tiny grey kitten, Chloe has now taken to calling him "Catsby" which she finds both hilarious and adorable. Aubrey still prefers the name that she bestowed upon the furry creature but she has to admit that Catsby is pretty cute. She admits this grudgingly and rarely says it out loud.

Aubrey has only two more finals to prepare for and even though she's more than halfway done, it doesn't make her feel any less stressed out. Everything is much more serious then it was back at Barden. This is the big-leagues, this is her future career on the line. Sometimes, she envies Chloe for already having a job in her chosen field. Chloe gets up every morning and goes to teach music at PS 41; she doesn't have to sit through classes or do homework or cram for exams or stress out about failing out of law school. She has a job, she has her students; no more classes, no more studying and no more stressing. Yep, Aubrey definitely envies her girlfriend.

Of course, Chloe has definitely picked up the slack over the past two weeks. She's kept the apartment up to the Aubrey Posen standards of cleanliness and picks up dinner and actually makes Aubrey stop to eat and she makes coffee in the morning and sends Aubrey cute text messages throughout the day in order to distract her. Aubrey can't wait until her last two finals are out of the way just so she can let Chloe know just how much she loves her.

It's a little past noon when Aubrey's phone buzzes right on schedule; she's come to expect texts from Chloe when she's on her lunch break. _You should take a break from studying and go outside_, the message reads, _it's so nice out! _

Aubrey smiles and rolls her eyes. _I don't have time to go outside. I have a final tomorrow morning_. But Aubrey definitely appreciates the effort. Only Chloe would think that taking a walk outside was worth taking a break from studying.

In order to compromise, Aubrey gets up and walks over to the window, pulling up the blinds and pushing the window open. The sounds of the city drift in, along with a warm May breeze. Maybe she will make time to go outside and study before the day is done.

Catsby, er Gatsby, hops up on the window sill and lets out one of his trademark shrill meows and rubs against Aubrey's elbow. "I can't play with you right now." Aubrey has long since passed the point where she feels self-conscious for talking to an animal. "I have to study."

Aubrey goes back to her desk and leaves Catsby (it _is_ cute. Damn you Chloe Beale) hanging out by the window. She completely loses herself in studying, pouring over her notes and the corresponding chapters in the text book and feels herself growing more confident with each passing chapter. She can do this. She's going to go to her final tomorrow and totally knock it out of the park. She's hoping that feigning confidence will make her start to feel more confident.

When her stomach starts rumbling, Aubrey realizes that she never had lunch. She forces herself to go over to the refrigerator and study its contents. There's Chinese takeout from the night before and various other takeout containers. Ugh. Once she's done with her finals they're going to start eating like real people.

Aubrey takes out one of the containers, spoons the contents out onto a plate and sticks the plate in the microwave. Their kitchen is painfully tiny and she's worried that the microwave is going to somehow short-circuit one day and catch everything on fire. It can't be a good decision to have the microwave on top of the refrigerator.

Aubrey takes the plate of food back to her desk but pauses with the spoon halfway to her mouth. Something just doesn't seem right. Something's missing… Of course. Catsby. Since they got him, he constantly has to be involved in everything they're doing, especially when food is involved. Aubrey told Chloe not to feed him people food, but Chloe (of course) didn't listen and now he comes around begging whenever he hears them go into the kitchen or open a bag or box of something or when he hears the microwave beep. He's been suspiciously absent throughout the entire process.

"Catsby?" Aubrey glances around the apartment, but the kitten is no where to be seen. She clicks her tongue. "Here kitty, kitty." She taps the fork against the plate in hopes of getting his attention.

Nothing.

Aubrey gets up and walks over to the bed, which is perfectly made and not concealing any kittens. No kittens are lurking under the bed or in the kitchen or in the bathroom. Or under her desk or in the clothes hamper. "Catsby?" Aubrey's brow furrows. "Where are you?"

Not that he can answer of course.

Aubrey glances around the apartment, perplexed. She feels her heart constrict in her chest when she sees the open window. Oh my God. How could she be so stupid and careless. She didn't even think when she opened the window. Which does not have a screen or any sort of deterrent that would keep a cat from wanting to investigate what was going on outside. Though, since they live on the third floor, it would not be a very advantageous investigation.

Aubrey hurries over to the window and leans outside, glancing down at the sidewalk below. A part of her is legitimately worried that she's going to see a squashed Catsby three stories down. But there's nothing there but people walking to and from classes.

Quickly, Aubrey shuts the window and turns around, looking through the apartment. Catsby has to be around here somewhere. She must have just overlooked him. He couldn't be outside…right…? Maybe if he somehow jumped to the ledge of the apartment next door…no, that would be impossible. He's too small. Maybe he fell in the bushes below the windows. This is not good. Chloe is going to kill her.

Aubrey starts going through the apartment inch by inch. Luckily, it's not that big. She opens the closet and quickly discovers how Chloe has kept the apartment so clean recently. They'll deal with sorting that mess out later. Aubrey shuts the closet door, figuring that she can handle the whole "out of sight, out of mind" concept for now and resumes her search.

When Chloe comes home a short time later, she finds Aubrey down on the floor, half under the bed. She can't resist walking over and slapping Aubrey across the butt, though she feels guilty when Aubrey jumps in surprise and whacks her head against the underside of the bed.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." Chloe tries not to make it sound like she's laughing but she doesn't think she's doing a good job. She sits down on the floor beside Aubrey. "What are you doing under there? Have you finally gone crazy from all that studying?"

Aubrey wiggles out from underneath the bed and Chloe is pretty sure that she's never seen anyone look so forlorn before. She's actually pretty sure that the expression on Aubrey's face is the reason that the word 'forlorn' was invented.

"What's the matter?" Chloe questions, instinctively reaching for Aubrey's hands.

"I…I think I lost the cat." The words leave Aubrey's mouth in a sudden rush and she can't bring herself to look at Chloe. "I had the window open earlier and now he's gone and I think he might have gotten out and this is horrible Chloe I'm so sorry, I'm horrible." She throws her arms around Chloe's shoulders.

Chloe tries to process Aubrey's hurried confession as she gives her girlfriend a sympathetic pat on the back. "Wait…Catsby fell out the window?"

"I don't know." Aubrey says mournfully. "I can't find him anywhere."

Chloe disentangles herself from Aubrey. "I'm sure he's in the apartment. Why would he want to go near a window anyway?"

"I've looked everywhere." Aubrey protests, but she lets Chloe help her to her feet anyway. "I have no idea where he could be."

Even though Aubrey feels like it's pointless, she joins Chloe in looking through the apartment again. And, of course, it takes Chloe all of three minutes to find Catsby. Fucking Albert Gatsby Posen-Beale, sound asleep in the pile of crap in the closet. Maybe if Aubrey had been less intimidated by the mess, she would have seen the little ball of fur sleeping soundly on top of some dirty clothes and Chloe's tennis shoes.

"See, I told you." Chloe picks up the sleepy kitten and holds him up for Aubrey to see. "He was here the whole time."

Aubrey snatches Catsby out of Chloe's hands and cuddles the kitten against her face. "Oh my God, I thought he was dead." Catsby looks confused and still half asleep. "I thought it was all my fault. I'm a horrible cat mom." All the time she spent reading pet blogs and websites on the Internet apparently didn't make much of a difference.

Chloe smiles and shakes her head. "No, you're not. You were just worried. I think it's cute." She takes Catsby away from Aubrey and sets him on the floor so that she can pull Aubrey closer to her. "You love him."

"I was more worried about what you were going to do." Aubrey admits. "You can be very terrifying when you want to be."

"Oh, I know." Chloe assures her. "I learned it from you." Aubrey rolls her eyes. "But the plus side of all of this is that it made you take a break from studying."

Aubrey blanches and looks back at her books stacked on the desk. She'd even forgotten about her Chinese food, which is now being nibbled on by Catsby. "You're right. My final is tomorrow. I need to be studying."

She starts to walk back toward her desk but Chloe grabs her around the waist before she can get too far. "I think you should take an extended study break." She kisses the side of Aubrey's neck. "Think of all the other things that we could be doing."

"Yes but those…other things won't help me pass my final." Aubrey points out. But it's not like she's making an active attempt to move away from Chloe.

"But what's more fun?" Chloe questions, continuing to kiss down the side of Aubrey's neck. "Studying or your girlfriend? Plus, you're still stressed out from losing Catsby. You're not going to be able to concentrate."

Aubrey shivers as Chloe kisses the curve where her neck meets her shoulder. "Yeah, _that's_ why I can't concentrate."

Chloe turns her around so their lips meet and Aubrey is pretty much done arguing after that. Chloe continues to kiss her as she slowly backs Aubrey toward the bed and they both go tumbling to the mattress. Chloe starts to unbutton Aubrey's shirt and Aubrey sighs into her mouth as she touches the bare skin of her stomach.

Aubrey thinks that this is definitely better than studying.

"Ouch!" Chloe suddenly pulls back, twisting around so that she can grab at Catsby, who has just jumped from the floor and right onto her back. "What the hell Catsby! I was in the middle of something here."

Aubrey laughs and lays her head back against the pillows behind her. "_You_ wanted a cat."

"Yeah, yeah."

**end. **


End file.
